H2oOh! Waterpark & Underwater Caves

While scanning the MySL microblog I came across a snapshot from friend Benjamin Wahl that a party was being held in a waterpark in SL.

Waterpark?

Waterpark?!?

ahhhhh .... waterpark!

Being a total sucker for waterparks I zipped over as soon as I could, all impressed by Benjamin's photos and hoping for the best. I was not (not, I say! Not!) disappointed. Far from being kitschy and derivative, the H2oOh! Waterpark & Underwater Caves (SLurl), is a refreshing, attractive, and professionally created intimate little paradise.

When I first visited, a stage was here for a live performer. Join the group to learn about other events and please find the tip jars so the owners can pay tier costs.

As the name says, there are underwater caves. Provide your own scuba gear and watch out for the bloody pirate or just drop in and wander as if you can breathe underwater.

Refreshing: There are no other water parks like this in Second Life. At least none I can find. Most have poorly made watersides or poorly utilized equipment. Many simply sit on flat land and don't bother having a personality. I would expect to see a waterpark like H2oOh in Real Life.

Waterfalls everywhere and turn up your sound to hear them. Quite relaxing.
Look around for little details, too ... water spots on the decking, cute signs, etc. Great touches.

Two adult watersides, but no lifeguards so hop on kids and scream your guts out!

Attractive: Just look at it ... This park isn't just a flat layout with water features evenly laid out. There's depth from broken sight lines, brilliant use of rocks, and very good water caustics in the genuine Linden water. Choice and placement of vegetation is top notch, too.

The kids have a play area complete with wading pool and picnic area.

Explore, explore, explore. Fun for romantic couples, too, abounds.

Professionally created: If Florecita Zabaleta doesn't do this for a living, she should. The use of space, texture, and pre-fab selection is brilliant. Sure, there are some rough spots ... a couple places where the bounding boxes are too large (like in the kiddie pool) or something could be set to phantom for a better experience. Some of the water isn't deep enough for swimming (I love my Siggy's Waterworks swimmer HUD). But show me a build that is flawless.

A convenient changing area with free and premium swimwear right at the entrance (SLurl). Direct teleport is enabled so you could show up anywhere, actually, if you use the map or need to double-click TP. M-rated region but please keep your clothes on as kids may be around.

A view of the kids (family) area from the "Adult" pool (pictured below).

Intimate little paradise: It is rather small but very fully packed. Hard to believe that everything is in just 8192 m2. Fortunately it is part of a full region, not a Homestead, so scripts aren't limited and a full 100 avatars (set higher than the standard 40) can be in the whole region at any given time. When this spot becomes super popular you should still be able to get in, grab a tube, and hang out.